Environment Agency officials have confirmed the reason behind brown and smelly sea water on the Lincolnshire coast after a mum and her children fell ill. Emma Oldham, a mum-of-three from Newark, described the scenes at Huttoft beach as "apocalyptic" and first believed the brown sludge to be sewage.
The conservation biologist visited the beach with her children Arrietty, five, and twins Phoebe and Primrose, both three on Saturday, September 10 but only noticed the poor condition of the sea water once her children had entered it. "We parked our car close to the sand and there were families playing in the sea," the 33-year-old told Nottinghamshire Live.
"There was no smell and everything looked fine. For kids it is innate they run off into the sea because it is flat and safe. My children were already in the sea and it was then I noticed there was this smell of poo.
"They were only in the water for a couple of minutes. I ran them down to the toilet block. It made my husband's toes curl when I took their clothes out to wash them.
"It was a really horrible experience. I felt like an apocalyptic scene. There are usually jellyfish and sea birds, but it was quiet."
Mrs Oldham's video of the sea has since gone viral on Twitter with many believing raw sewage, discharged from an outlet, had been the culprit. It comes as political debates continue over sewage discharges into waterways and oceans, from private water companies.
However, officials have now confirmed this is not the case.
(Thread) ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! No more raw sewage in our seas! I have to share this with you all as I feel MORTIFIED and sick
Yesterday we visited Huttoft beach, a place we've visited for yrs. As normal, the kids ran into the sea for a paddle and what unfolded was horrific. pic.twitter.com/k6qBt9J8Qn— Emma Oldham (@EmmaWebsdale)
An Anglian Water spokeswoman says: "We have thoroughly inspected the area both at Huttoft and the surrounding beaches.
"The picture in the post is of sea algae, which is a natural phenomenon, completely unrelated to sewage. For clarity, we have no storm overflows along the seafront in this area, there is nothing at Moggs Eye, and waste water from the Anderby Creek Water Recycling Centre is taken to Ingoldmells much further along the coast to be treated. So categorically not us."
According to the Environment Agency, marine algae blooms are caused by seaweeds and microscopic plants called phytoplankton. The agency says: "A bloom is usually made up of one species and occurs when conditions for growth are ideal, often in the summer.
"Some algae can harm marine creatures by producing toxins or clogging the gills of fish. Blooms of toxic algae are rare in English coastal waters.
"Some non-toxic blooms can be mistaken for sewage pollution. One of the most common bloom-forming algae in English coastal waters forms a brown, frothy scum. This is often blown on to the shore where it breaks down into an unpleasant brown slime that smells like sewage. This soon breaks down and disappears.
"You can’t tell if an algal bloom in the sea, a lake or river is toxic just by looking at it, so it’s safest to assume it is. Keep pets and children away from the water and avoid skin contact with the water or algae."
However Mrs Oldham cast doubts on the response from Anglian Water, saying she does not "totally trust it". She added: "I’ve been working as a conservation biologist for over a decade and have seen many algae blooms, especially in Cornwall.
"Algae blooms tend to feel slimy, cold and frothy. What I felt across my skin was grainy and warm. When you moved it off your skin it left a brown streaky smear. It undoubtedly felt, looked and smelt like faeces.
"Our clothes smelt awful after being in the water for just a few minutes and I couldn’t get the stench from underneath my nails for three days. What type of poo is unknown, could it be untreated sewage? Discharge from a ship or run off from livestock waste? It needs investigating as three of us have been poorly as a result."
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